This lecture introduces the fundamental concepts of light amplification, covering topics such as amplifier properties, ideal and real amplifier characteristics, benefits of optical amplifiers, different amplifier types, and amplifier gain mechanisms. The instructor explains the requirements and applications of optical amplifiers, including in-line amplifiers, booster amplifiers, and pre-amplifiers. The lecture also delves into the working principles of doped fiber amplifiers, Raman & Brillouin amplifiers, parametric amplifiers, and semiconductor optical amplifiers. Additionally, it discusses the concepts of lumped and distributed amplification, amplifier gain, gain coefficient, and amplifier gain bandwidth.